Rory McIlroy has enjoyed some remarkable years in his stellar career but he is hopeful that the next month can make 2025 the very best.
Since he announced himself to the world with victory at the Dubai Desert Classic in 2009, he has experienced far more feast than famine in racking up a CV that saw his place as one of the game’s greats assured some time ago.
In 2014 he won two Majors, topped the earnings lists on both sides of the Atlantic and was part of a winning Ryder Cup team but by the end of September, he believes he could have surpassed all that.
His victory at the Masters Tournament in April saw him secure the career Grand Slam, joining Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to have won all four men’s Majors.
He also has two other wins including the PLAYERS Championship and over the next four weeks he has the chance to add home, Rolex Series and more Ryder Cup glory to his roll of honour for 2025.
And while victories at this week’s Amgen Irish Open and next week’s BMW PGA Championship would be warmly welcomed, there is no doubt upon which prize McIlroy has his eye.
“Obviously I'd love to win this week,” he said. “I'd love to win next week at Wentworth. But the one thing for me this year to reassess my goals, an away Ryder Cup, after everything that's happened this year, would be... if I did have a better year in the game, I'd love to see it.
“If we were to win an away Ryder Cup with everything else that I've been through this year, 2025 would be the best year of my career.”
Before the challenge of Bethpage presents itself, however, McIlroy tees it up this week looking to win the island of Ireland’s national open for a second time.
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His previous victory in 2016 came here at The K Club on the Palmer North Course and the Northern Irishman is sure to take vast galleries of knowledgeable fans around with him at a happy hunting ground.
“It's lovely to be back,” he said. “I've got some great memories of the K Club. I came here to watch the Ryder Cup in 2006 with my dad and to win my only Irish Open here nine years ago.
“It's got a lot of great memories for me and hopefully I can add to them this week.
“For me it suits my style of game. I feel like my game travels pretty much everywhere and I've done well on links courses as well.
“But I think from a logistical standpoint, from an operational standpoint, there's pretty much everyone who needs to be on-site could be on-site at the hotel. The proximity to Dublin is quite nice.”
While McIlroy is and has been all business since completing the Grand Slam, he has also been on something of a victory lap, with fans eager to congratulate him on his heroics.
This week will be no different on home soil and the 36-year-old is relishing the chance to share his success.
“I think everyone was sort of on that journey with me,” he said. “So to have that collective reaction and to see genuinely how happy people were for me to be able to achieve, it was something that I'll never forget.
“It's cool to be back in front of them. Hopefully I can reward them all with playing some good golf over the weekend.”
